


Circumstances, Platonic or Otherwise

by 1kaleidoscopelucy2



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Drabbles, F/M, mini stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-21
Updated: 2013-06-21
Packaged: 2017-12-15 16:45:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/851768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1kaleidoscopelucy2/pseuds/1kaleidoscopelucy2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short stories and drabbles focusing on Oliver and Felicity. No chronological order, post season 1.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These have been on my ff.net for a while so I decided to post them here too for all you beautiful people!

      He doesn't think he has truly smiled since he got back from the island. Until he meets her.

      He had smiled at his mother and Thea and Tommy but the smiles had been tainted. Tainted with memories of a previous life, one he would never get back, one he wasn't sure he even wanted anymore.

      He would look at his mother and remember the day he left on the  _Queens Gambit_  with his father. He saw her waving on the dock until she was nothing but a speck on the backdrop of Starling City. He would look at Thea and see five years that he had missed of his baby sister's life, five years that he had been without her, five years that had not only scarred himself but her as well. He would see Tommy, see his best friend's attempts at helping him readjust and be reminded of his shameful past.

      Then he meets her, bright and babbling, and she makes him smile. There is no pain or forced cheerfulness behind his smile, just a new kind of joy.

      She has an aura about her, one that comes with the curls and the bright lipstick, an aura that can't stop him from smiling.

      He leaves her office with a foreign lightness, an inexplicable force that pulls at the corners of his mouth.


	2. Not Supposed to Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ohh, jealous Oliver!

      He had never seen her like that before.

      At the factory or Queen Consolidated she was all business. A quirky and fun kind of business but business nonetheless. He had invited her to a few galas and she was dressed fancy with high heels and hair pinned back with fancy clips and loose curls around her shoulders. But seeing her around Starling City, at the mall, the park, was his favorite Felicity.

      Jeans, scarfs, sweaters, navy blue converse, and hair flowing around her shoulders. She wasn't focused on a computer or hunting down his next target. She was just Felicity. Smiling, laughing, pure Felicity. He had never seen her that relaxed around him or Diggle. Was that his fault? Was the work he had her do choking out the real Felicity, the laughing Felicity? The thought sombered him, he wanted to get to know this Felicity.

      What he didn't like about this Felicity was the man holding her hand, the man with his arm around her waist, hand in the back pocket of her jeans, hugging her and putting his nose in her hair, kissing her temple.

_I'm not seeing anyone, currently._

      That was a year ago, of course she's found someone.

      His thoughts raced. Who was this man? Where did they meet? Was he dangerous? Why hadn't Felicity told Oliver?

_It's none of your business._  A voice inside told him.  _Why do you even care?_

      Of course it was his business! It was his job to protect her, keep her from harms way. That was all. Nothing else.

      The man pulled her in for a kiss and he looked away and stalked back to the factory for a workout.

      "Why didn't she tell us?" Oliver shouted at Diggle the next night.

      "She did. She told me."

      "Well who is he?"

      "Relax Oliver, I was in the army with him. He's a good person. I introduced them."

      "Why would you do that! Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't  _she_  tell me?"

      "I told her not to because I knew you would overreact like this. Besides, she deserves someone. I have Carly, you have Laurel. Felicity deserves this."

      Oh, right. Oliver did have Laurel. It had been around six months ago since they reunited but Oliver wasn't as happy as he thought he would be. He didn't love her like he thought he did.

      "What do I deserve?"

      "It's nothing Felicity," Diggle reassured the blonde as she walked through the basement and took her seat at her computers.

      "So who are we terrifying tonight?" she chirped. She sounded so happy, and Oliver couldn't help but be disappointed he wasn't the source of her joy.

      Oliver stalked off, saying nothing.

      Three weeks later he ended things with Laurel. It was easier than both of them had expected.

      A month after that Felicity came into the factory yelling at someone at the other end of her cell phone with eyes rimmed red and a sniffle. She said nothing but it was obvious to the men, especially after nearly pinned down Diggle in her workout.

     Oliver felt wrong and selfish for feeling relief at Felicity's distress, but he couldn't help it, knowing that he still had a chance to meet the jeans and sneakers side of Felicity.


	3. Who's Felicity?

 

      Oliver watched helplessly as the man threw punch after punch at Felicity. He struggled against the ropes that bound him, digging into his skin. It was all his fault. he brought her into this, he put her at risk and now... and now all he could do was watch with a growing sense of dread as the man reached behind his back and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Felicity's head.

      "Oliver!" she croaked weakly.

      "Oliver, help me! please!"

      The sound crushed his heart, but all he could do was watch.

      "Felicity! Felicity!"

      The gun went off, and Felicity went limp, a mass of bloody blonde curls.

      "Oliver..." she breathed, eyes fluttering.

      "Felicity! No!"

      "Oliver! Oliver! Wake up!"

      Oliver's eyes flew open as soothing hands stroked his forehead.

      "Dead, she's dead."

      "Oliver, you were dreaming. No one's dead." she said calmly, cupping his head in her hands.

      "Oliver? Who's Felicity?" asked Laurel.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooomeooneess in trooouuble!


	4. Pandas and Piercings

Felicity Smoak was different.

She wasn't like the other women in Oliver's circles, social or criminal. McKenna, Helena... Laurel. They were fierce, serious, demanding, and aggressive. McKenna on raids, Helena set on revenge, and Laurel in the courtroom. They didn't have multiple piercings, wear panda bear flats, crazy cardigans, or babble incessantly.

Felicity Smoak wasn't like the other women in Oliver's life. She wasn't like any other woman, period.

And maybe that was why he felt so differently about her.

Was it love? Oliver wasn't sure yet, but he knew it was something. Something big and strong yet subtle, itching at the corners of his brain as he fell asleep at night. It was almost a burning need to protect her, to keep her safe and innocent. To preserve her babbling, animal decorated, insert-foot-in-mouth self.

Felicity kept promising to try and control her babbling during missions so as not to distract him. But secretly, Oliver didn't want it t stop. He needed it to remind him that there was more than just him and his bow and the bad guy. She was the voice in his ear that kept him grounded. Even just knowing that she was there, breathing, waiting, was enough to bring him back to reality.

Yes, Felicity was different, but Oliver couldn't afford to lose that quirk in his life, he never wanted that to change.


	5. Brother, Brother

      When Felicity doesn't show up at the foundry one night, he worries (perhaps more than it would be considered normal for a friend, but Oliver won't admit to anything). He texts. He calls. Nothing. He asks Diggle if he has seen or heard from her. Diggle hasn't. He drives past her apartment building looking for anything out of the ordinary yet sees nothing.

      Oliver parks a few blocks away and heads for the fire escape to Felicity's apartment building that just stops by her bedroom window. The window is unlocked, as usual. Oliver sighs and mentally chastises Felicity for being careless, hoping that it hasn't gotten her into any trouble. The bedroom is empty as Oliver climbs down but when he turns he comes face to face with a man. A man he has never seen before. Oliver instantly tenses, but the man makes no move to attack as he had expected.

      The dark haired stranger is tall, taller than Oliver with broad, muscular arms folded in front of his chest. Oliver can hear music playing in the background along with noises from the kitchen. Something smells good.

      The stranger looks at Oliver with critical, dark blue eyes.

      "Hey, Lis?" The man calls out, not taking his eyes off of Oliver.

      "Yeah?" Oliver relaxes at hearing the comforting voice of Felicity from somewhere in the apartment.

      "Can you explain to me why Oliver Queen just crawled through your bedroom window?"

      "Aww, hell!"

      Soft footsteps come into the bedroom, bringing along with them Felicity in dark blue sweatpants and a white sweater, blonde hair falling loosely around her shoulders. Oliver can't help but think how beautiful she looks.

      "Oliver, how many times have I told you to use the front door?!"

      "Felicity, how many times have I told you to lock your window?

      "OLIVER, how many bad guys do you think would be stopped by a locked window, they aren't all Swiper the Fox! What are you even doing here?"

      A quiet but deep voice interrupts them, amusement replacing the suspicion in his eyes.

      "Lis, care to introduce?"

      Felicity shakes her head quickly, curls bouncing.

      "Oh right, sorry. Oliver, this is my brother, Christopher Smoak, Chris, this is..."

      "Yeah, I know."

      Christopher extends his arm out to Oliver who takes it in a firm handshake.

      "So, dear little sister of mine, are you going to answer my question?"

      "Um... yeah, why are you here Oliver?" Felicity says, turning to Oliver with curious eyes. He can see the resemblance.

      "You never came to work today, and you didn't call in so..."

      "Why didn't you just call me?"

      "I did."

      "What?" Felicity rummages through her purse for her phone, "Oh, hey! Look at that, you did call. More than once. I'm sorry, Oliver, Chris just showed up this morning and I haven't seen him forever and then we got talking and I got distracted and then, oh you know!"

      "So do you often personally check up on your employees, Mr. Queen?"

      "I do some side projects for Oliver here and there, and we're friends now, I guess." Felicity pushed her glasses back up farther on her nose.

      "Side projects that illicit him coming into your bedroom from the fire escape?"

      "Uh, computer stuff." Felicity says, blushing fiercely. Chris grins, obviously enjoying making his little sister uncomfortable.

      "I don't use the front door," Oliver jumps in, "Wouldn't want the paparazzi getting the wrong idea. And, please, call me Oliver."

      "So Oliver, you come here enough so that it would attract the attention of the paparazzi?"

      "Like I said Chris, we're friends. Now can we go eat? I'm starving!" Felicity whines, internally cursing her perceptive older brother. "Do you want to join us, Oliver?"

      "No thanks, I wouldn't want to impose. Nice meeting you, Chris." Oliver says. He is not intimidated by many, but Oliver can feel the heat in Chris' even gaze, watching his every move, judging him, just as Oliver would do to any man who came in through Thea's bedroom window.

      "Hold on a second there, Oliver. You don't have to go. I would like to make an effort to get to know Felicity's friends." Chris says, the corners of his mouth slightly twitching upward.

      Something in Chris' tone makes refusing the offer sound like a poor decision, so he concedes and shares a look with Felicity as they follow Chris into the kitchen.

      At the first the conversation is jilted, and it awkwardly stumbles around topics as Chris relishes in embarrassing his sister and her "friend" over baja fish tacos. Eventually though, things smooth out and the tension in the air lifts as Oliver and Chris exchange little sister stories. And of course, Felicity is still embarrassed because Chris is just that kind of brother. Her cheeks remain a soft pink throughout the evening.

      Chris is enjoying Oliver's company, despite the fact that he still doesn't know why Felicity would be reporting for work at eight at night, or how Oliver Queen ended up head over heels for his sister or . He can see it in the way Oliver looks at her, the way they banter, the way he smiles at her ramblings that Chris was almost certain she would have outgrown by now. Oliver is still, however, notorious for being a heart breaker, a fact that has not escaped his notice. But something in the way he interacts with Felicity, he seems like a different person than the careless playboy portrayed in the media.

      Somehow, the evening ends up with Oliver and Chris having an arm wrestle, that has Felicity doubled over laughing. Chris wins, and Oliver makes a mental note that Chris is someone to remember in case of emergency.

      Before long, it is nearly three in the morning, and Chris insists he can sleep on the floor and that Oliver stay and sleep on the couch.

      "Unless there was anywhere else you wanted to sleep?" He asks innocently, looking pointedly at Felicity, who promptly turns a deep shade of scarlet. Oliver lets out a weak laugh.

      "You can take the couch, the floor is fine." he says.

      Felicity leaves to take a shower, making the men both do the dishes. As Oliver scrubs rather ferociously on one particular spot, Chris puts down his towel and looks at Oliver, who meets his gaze.

      "She's really special, Oliver."

      Oliver puts down the stubborn pot.

      "Yes, she is."

      "You better take good care of her."

      "I will."

      They both go back to doing the dishes in silence, one thinking that he just may have found someone close to being worthy enough (because no one could ever be worthy enough for the love of his sister), and the other praying to God that he doesn't mess this up, too.


	6. Red

      Red.

      Even after two years of marriage Felicity never told him what her natural hair color was. Oliver had always assumed it was dark brown like her brother's.

      But now, holding his baby girl for the first time he sees his own eyes staring back at him, a deep blue that contrasts with a shock of red hair.

      At first he doesn't notice it. He is so entranced by the tiny human in his arms that is grabbing his pinky finger as if her life depends on it, he can think of nothing else. All of a sudden this jumble of feelings overwhelm him, pure happiness, amazement, fear, and love all rolled into one. He looks at his sleeping wife in the hospital bed after a grueling 13 hours in labor with blonde hair splayed across the pillow. Then it hits him.

      Oliver's eyes go straight to his daughter's,  _his daughter's,_  hair and he laughs slightly and feels tears start to gather in his eyes.

      Red.

      And it is beautiful.

 


End file.
